2006 News Story05/10/2006Saudi Arabia elected to UN Human Rights Council

Saudi Arabia was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council in a first round of voting yesterday. The Kingdom received 126 out of a possible 191 votes in the UN General Assembly.

Turki Al-Sudairi, head of the Kingdom’s Human Rights Commission, said in a statement that the vote reflects Saudi Arabia’s international role as well as its concern for human rights issues.

“They [elected countries] reflect the will of the member states,” UN General Assembly President Jan Eliasson told reporters after the vote. “It is a reflection of the United Nations, of the whole body of the UN, and I will not comment on any individual country performance but to underline … that I find it very important that all member states have made pledges and commitments that they expect to live up to.”

Other Arab countries elected to the Human Rights Council include Bahrain and Jordan.